Volunteers, repair know-how combine at Duluth Fix-It Clinic
DULUTH — Do you have a shirt that needs a patch? Or a small appliance that would still work well if not for that one part? Need help figuring out why your fan won't oscillate?
There's a free event that can help with all of the above and many other fixes, too. The fourth Duluth Fix-It Clinic at the Duluth Folk School is a collaboration among the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, the folk school, Duluth MakerSpace and Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps.
The idea is to have a time and place where people with items needing repair can meet with volunteers who have the skills and willingness to try to fix them.
"There's a spirit of rejecting the idea that just because something's broken means it belongs in the landfill," Emma Pardini, organizer and WLSSD environmental program coordinator, said. "I grew up with a lot of material goods that I just learned, well, once it's broken, it's not worth fixing. But there's still a lot of good stuff out there if we just take the time and put in a little bit of effort."
Pardini reached out to organizers at several local organizations to recruit volunteers and committee members who could help create this free opportunity for people to come and connect and find a fix. So far, they've held three clinics and Pardini said the turnout has been better than she imagined.
"You wonder, are people going to come with broken stuff? Will people be disappointed if their stuff doesn't get fixed? Will anyone come with skills?" Pardini said. "But it's turned out to be true that most people just need permission to crack open something that's already broken.
"It's been sort of magical," she said, "just giving people the opportunity to take the screws out, rip open the seam and see if you can figure things out."
At a clinic, people either sign up ahead of time on a registration form on the WLSSD website or show up on clinic day.
The clinic has a limit of one item per person and the item must fit through a standard doorway and be carried by one person. No engines, weapons or leaking items are accepted.
"We're dreaming of a small engine repair someday in the future," Pardini said, "but for now, leave the lawnmowers and snowblowers at home. Small appliances are our most common items, which makes sense since they're the workhorses of our homes. Kitchen stand mixers are among the most common, which is interesting."
Pardini said having a group with various skills and backgrounds has helped ensure fixes can be applied. For example, at the last clinic, someone brought in a small desk fan.
"It was something you could have easily bought at Walmart for maybe $10," Pardini said. "But we thought it would be cool if we could get it working. And we cracked it open and realized it was missing a part, a little gear-shaped item. And the director of the Duluth MakerSpace said, 'Hold on, can you hang out here at the cafe for a while?'"
Paul Schonfeld ran back to the MakerSpace and created a digital model of the missing piece and used a 3D printer at the space to make a replacement. The piece worked and the fan worked again.
"We probably spent more time and brain space and sweat on that fan than it would cost to build a new one, but it's about that feeling of success," Pardini said. "The pride you can take in not sending something to the landfill. The ability to create something that works."
Pardini said with winter coming, she's expecting to see more outdoor gear items coming into the next clinic, so if anyone wants to volunteer to help repair boots, jackets, zippers or other winter gear, plan to attend the clinic Saturday.
"You don't have to be an expert," Pardini said. "We always need people to help connect people with the right help, so everyone is welcome. Even if you don't need something fixed, stop by and maybe you'll get an idea of something you can do on your own to keep your items working a little bit longer."
